--

"You don't have to tell me the results. I already know them." Rogue was sitting in Hank's office with the lights turned off. She had changed into a mere sweatshirt and pants. She had pulled up all of her hair into a ponytail, not caring how weird her white fringes looked pulled back. "I was there when he was injected with it." Rogue stared at the wall with a black expression on her face. Suddenly, a cold laugh escaped her raw lips. "Too bad I couldn't help him. I was a little tied up at the moment."

"I'm making a cure for it, Rogue." An emotion seemed to flicker in her eyes at his verified comment. Hank felt at a loss of words, not wanting to say too much or too little.

"The ones who were infected with the virus are going to be your guinea pigs?" Rogue asked, scrunching up her nose at the thought of it. "You do that, Mr. McCoy. Hopefully you just won't kill anyone in the process." Her eyes roamed the room before settling on his slightly shocked ones. "So, who has it?"

Hank took a deep breath. "Why don't you go get some sleep?" He suggested, not wanting to talk about any of this now. "The Professor does want you to have a check up tomorrow morning."

"I want my old life back but that's never goin' to happen. Things were easier before I sucked the life out of someone." She got up and walked passed Hank, who gently grabbed her shoulder.

"Do you need to talk to someone?"

"The 'someone' I want to talk to is dying." She shot at him, jerking her shoulder out from under his large hand.

"I will find a cure."

"Before it's too late?" Rogue asked in a soft voice as she glared at him, daggers practically shooting from her eyes. "You better start workin' on it then. And you never told me who was infected. If you don't wish to, I have other ways of gathering information."

"Charles says it is not a good idea to use your powers." Hank admonished, feeling perplexed at her sudden attitude. He felt like wrapping his long arms around her and hugging her and no, he's not a pedophile.

"Who said I was going to use my powers?" Rogue asked, wrapping her arms around herself. "I do have other ways of gathering information."

"Scott. Kitty. Kurt. Remy. And I still have to do your test." He felt a twinge of guilt for mentioning the Cajun's name when Rogue had flinched. "Please, just let me run a test just to make sure."

"If you want a blood sample from me, you'll need a warrant." She mumbled a 'good luck' at him before turning on her heel and leaving without saying another word.

--

A hysterical Jean sat on a chair outside the medical wing. Her eyes were bloodshot and her nose was runny and red. Best of all, you could see brown roots growing in. What? You thought her hair was naturally that red? Hah. She was startled when the door flew open and Rogue walked out in a hurry.

"Rogue?" Jean called out in a shaky voice as she blew her nose with a Kleenex.

Rogue stopped at the elevator. She studied the 'up' button as she reached out to press it. "Yeah?"

"How are you holding up? This is pretty awful, isn't it?"

"Awful? Aw, shucks no. This is the greatest thing that has ever happened."  By then end of her sentence, she practically yelled the last word. "How do you think I'm holding up, Jean? My best friend is in there dyin' and there ain't nothin' I can do."

"Scott is in there, too, Rogue. You're not the only one, you know? I just never knew you considered Kitty to be your best friend."

"Kitty?" Rogue muttered, staring out blankly as the elevator door opened. She had forgotten about Kitty, Scott, and Kurt. Her heart and her mind were only set on Remy. "I don't even know what to do."

"Running away isn't helping." Jean admonished with a loud, irritating sniffle. She then dabbed her eyes with the Kleenex she used to blow her nose. Hey, you're not as clean as you look. Use Dial.

"I ain't runnin' away."

"Then where were you off to in a hurry?"

"To go brush my teeth, perhaps." Rogue mumbled, turning on her heel. She just sighed, feeling defeated as she leaned against the wall. "Why are you out here when one eye wonder boy is in there? Then again, I don't think the guy wants you slobbering all over him while he's unconscious."

"How can you be so sarcastic and mean at a time like this?"

"Sugah, did ya forget? I'm not the Rogue because it's a pretty word."

Jean just stared down at the ground. "You're not worried about Kitty, are you? It's Gambit, isn't it?"

Rogue slid down the wall with her knees brought up to her chest. She hugged them tightly, resting her chin in the space between her knees. "I'm not in the mood, Jean. But out and leave me alone."

In response Jean just wailed, "Scott!"

Rogue silently wished Jean had been infected with the virus too. It wasn't a nice thought, but it's not like you aren't thinking the same thing.

--

"Bonkers! He looks dead." Pyro poked his Cajun friend who was laying in the hospital bed. "Is he dead, mate?" He poked Remy again. 

"No." Piotr said, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Comrade, how about we let Gambit rest?"

Pyro nodded as he bit down on his lower lip. "Piotr?"

"Yes, John?"

"Do I have problems?" He sounded like a little child as he turned and stared at Piotr with his wide, dark green eyes.

"No, you're just special. Really special." Remy groaned. Pyro screamed, jumped in the air and then grabbed a hold of Piotr.

"It's alive!" The pyromaniac shrieked.

--

"How do you feel, Remy?" Hank asked feeling astonished that Remy had woken up.

"Like a truck ran over me. Went into reverse and did it again." He answered, mumbling a few other things. "Where's Rogue?"

"I'll go get 'er!" Pyro volunteered, skipping out of the room. Piotr sighed and followed him out.

"I will help him get her."

--

"Hey Roguey, your boyfriend wants you!" Pyro walked outside the medical wing to see a gloomy looking Jean and an expressionless Rogue. "Wow. Who died?"

"Not the best choice of words." Rogue said, shooting him a look. He didn't seem too affected by his own words. She then wiped her sweaty palms on her pants as she stretched out her legs. She brought her hand to her mouth and nibbled on her nails. Suddenly, she was on her feet. "Wait, did you say boyfriend?"

"No, I said your uncle's monkey."

Piotr cleared his throat. "Gambit has woken up. Hank is in the room with him now."

And with a blink of an eye, Rogue rushed past them and into the medical wing.

"Geesh. At the rate she was running, you'd think there was a Marilyn Manson CD discount in there." Pyro mumbled, scratching the back of his head.

Now it was Piotr's turn to scratch the back of his head. "Who's Marilyn Manson?"

-- 

"Remy!" Rogue immediately hugged the beloved ragin' Cajun who looked on the pale side. "How are ya feelin'?"

"Weak." He answered, staring at her with some disappointment in his eyes; she was no longer wrapped in a towel or standing in front of him not wrapped in the towel. Bummer.

"That is because your immune system is weakening so your body doesn't fight off the virus." Hank said, clearing his throat as he stood up.

"You're not helpin', you know that?" Remy shot at him, wanting some alone time with Rogue.

"I'll excuse your crankyness."

"Why don't you excuse yourself?"

"I can take a hint."

"Then why don't you and leave."

Rogue arched up her brows as she reached over and gently touched the side of Remy's face. "You really are cranky, aren't you?" When she heard the door close, she gave him a weak smile. "You really scared me. It's not everyday a guy kisses me, tells me he loves me and then passes out."

"What can I say? I like to be original."

Rogue sat down on the side of the bed and chuckled. A certain sadness still clung to her heart knowing she could lose him. There was no way she was going to let him go.

"If I ever see Trask again, I'm going to beat the living shit out of him."

"Whatever happened to your girl scout ways?"

"Whatever happened to you moaning over your ex-fiancée who broke your heart?"

"With no one to bring her up, I didn't have to."

"Do you want me to call your father and tell him you ate some bad shrimp and need to see him?"

"I don't need to see him." He reached up, grabbed her shoulder and pulled her down, towards him. "I just need to see you."

"Isn't that what you're doin' now?"

"I'm glad you're all sarcastic and happy. Want to be the host of the after party for my funeral?"

Rogue jerked away from him and got to her feet. "Screw you, LeBeau."

"What?" He asked, shrugging his shoulders. "You mean you don't want to? On the hosting and the screwing part." 

Rogue just stared at him. For the first time he just seemed like a little boy laying there. She didn't realize how gaunt he looked, or how tired. Her eyes burned with unshed tears.

Remy could feel a lump forming in his throat. "Rogue.." Part of him knew his words were hurtful and that he shouldn't say them but his other half said it anyway. Flashbacks occurred in his mind, remembering how if he didn't take that injection, Rogue would have gotten it. His vision blurred and he thought it was another effect of the virus but it wasn't. It was from the tears building up in his eyes. "Merde. I'm gettin' all hormonal. If I start wailin' over a crack in the ceiling, please bash my head in." It was meant as a joke, but Rogue didn't laugh. "We're goin' through changes, Rogue. Don't hold onto the past." He expected her to say, 'eat shit and die,' but she just remained silent and left the room. After a few seconds, she came back and stood in the doorway.

"When all of this is over, you're goin' on the patch. I don't want you smokin' anymore and that's an order. Now excuse me while I go cut the filters off your cigarettes."

He knew he could always depend on Rogue.

--

"What're ya doin'?" Rogue stood in the doorway of Hank's small lab. He was wearing safety goggles and was mixing chemicals. He had test tubes, some full of liquids and some empty, a test tube rack, beakers, two graduate cylinders, a burner and a telescope set in front of him, scattered about on the lab table.

"Could you do me a favor? Put a 'do not disturb' sign on the door outside?"

"Can do, Mr. McCoy." Rogue said with a small smile. "I can take a hint, too."

--

"Get me the hell out of here." Rogue was sitting in a chair in Remy's room, doodling in a notebook. She had been quiet the hour she was in there and barely said anything. "Rogue."

"Rest before you croak." She stated sharply, shoving the pencil and notebook off her lap.

"You're upset."

"And you don't even know why, Remy. I—" She was cut off when the door flew open and a teary Jean hurried into the room. She turned to Rogue and grabbed her hand, pulling her out of the seat. "I'll be back, I think." Rogue said to Remy as Jean pulled her out of the room, shutting the door behind her. "Sheesh, what's your—"

"Rogue.. Kitty just flat lined. It was.." Jean's words just seemed to fade out as Rogue's eyed widened.

Hopefully it just wasn't too late for Hank to make up an antibiotic to work against the virus.

--